Hi, I'm looking to build a high-end rig that will be damn near silent for Home Theatre use (which I hope won't be pushing the CPU) but still reasonably quiet under various strain (extracting rars, maybe some video processing). I'm going for i7 Haswell and would like the option to overclock it to around 4.0Ghz. I might consider going to 4.3Ghz once I'm more comfortable with overclocking, but I'm not really bothered about pushing the cpu to the upper limits of 4.5Ghz overclocking.

With this in mind, would the Thermalright Archon SB-E X2 be a good choice? I'm kinda put off by dual-fan coolers like the Noctua NH-d14 that take up loads of space and have a fan in-between the heatsink as they seem like they would be an incredible faff to keep clean. The Archon has easier access to both fans and won't loom over half my memory cards.

Is the X2 considered better than the Thermalright Archon SB-E 15cm? I've just been assuming that 2 14cm fans are better than one 15cm.

Also: I'm noticing that very few CPU coolers list LGA1150 under their compatibility, is this because LGA1155 rated coolers will fit 1150 boards?

My case is the 1st gen Fractal Design Define XL, which Fractal claim can handle coolers 180mm tall, so I hope I will have the room.

Hi, I'm looking to build a high-end rig that will be damn near silent for Home Theatre use (which I hope won't be pushing the CPU) but still reasonably quiet under various strain (extracting rars, maybe some video processing). I'm going for i7 Haswell and would like the option to overclock it to around 4.0Ghz. I might consider going to 4.3Ghz once I'm more comfortable with overclocking, but I'm not really bothered about pushing the cpu to the upper limits of 4.5Ghz overclocking.

Since you dont want a cooler that takes as much space as the twin towers, Archon SBE seems like a good option, as Steve suggestion on the Noctua NH-U12/14, but for value for your money, i think the Thermalright HR02 macho is a good option, cheaper than Archon or NH, and while is a little bigger, its asymmetrical and grows flush from the cpu to the back of the motherboard and will not interfere with the memory (unless you go into X79 mobos), read SPCR review on it, Thermalright HR-02 Macho Quiet/Fanless Cooler if you add the second fan it gets very close to twin tower coolers performance.

Personally im sticking with HR02 until i see the HR22, wider and will come with TY150 that should allow even lower rpm running that TY140, and wider spread of the fins for better performance under low rpms, according to thermalright its starting production very soon, should hit retail before years end. Or another that has caught my attention is the upcoming NH-D15, which was already shown on shows this year and its schedule to be released later this year or early next year, and comes with twin NF-A15 PWM, my guess is it will take the crown on air coolers again, and the fans can be drop down to 300rpm.... so seems like a nice option.

hikoPC wrote:

Also: I'm noticing that very few CPU coolers list LGA1150 under their compatibility, is this because LGA1155 rated coolers will fit 1150 boards?

Should work fine, the hole/spacing is the same, my HR02 with its 1155 mounting fitted perfect on my haswell gene VI.

hikoPC wrote:

My case is the 1st gen Fractal Design Define XL, which Fractal claim can handle coolers 180mm tall, so I hope I will have the room.

Thanks for the reply guys! My shortlist is basically a three-way battle between the Archon SB-E X2, HR-02 Macho and the Noctua NH-U14S. The cost of the heatsink isn't an issue for me, I've budgeted for £60 and more and I don't mind spending that £10-£20 extra for a couple of degrees boost in cooling. the only reason why I was leaning more towards the X2 over the Macho was this page in the macho review which seems to suggest that a dual-fan Archon should perform around the same as a dual-fan Macho.

The Noctua is really tempting because I'm willing to bet it will be quieter than the Archon X2, but I'm guessing that the Archon will cool an overclocked i7 Haswell a little better.

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